Taylor Sheridan May Have Just Set Up The Yellowstone Spinoff That Nobody Thought Of

Taylor Sheridan might have just set up a Yellowstone spinoff that hasn’t occurred to anybody before. Yellowstone season 5, episode 13, “Give The World Away,” focuses on Beth’s (Kelly Reilly) need to make money by selling off most of the ranch’s livestock. This plot is a consequence of the discovery that Yellowstone‘s John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is dead, which necessitates taking action quickly to save the ranch, which owes a lot of money in property taxes that John’s estate cannot afford to pay.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2 is meant to wrap up the series after John’s death. However, “Give The World Away” does not offer much movement in storylines such as Beth blaming Jamie (Wes Bentley) for John’s death or Kayce’s (Luke Grimes) attempts to hold the perpetrators accountable. Instead, Beth goes to Texas to oversee Travis’ (Taylor Sheridan) sale of some horses there, which leads to extra screen time for the cowboy while everyone in Montana considers whether they have a future with the ranch.

Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 13 Heavily Features Taylor Sheridan’s Travis

Travis Shares Scenes With Beth In A Major Storyline

Taylor Sheridan’s character Travis has always been part of Yellowstone. The writer and co-creator of the series appears once or twice per season as the shady cowboy who will do anything to sell horses. Travis is usually a minor part of Yellowstone, although he is also tasked with the job of telling Jimmy (Jefferson White) that John has passed away, which allows him to participate in a more emotional scene than usual. That said, Travis is back to his old tricks in “Give The World Away.”

Beth’s decision to go to Texas turns out to be well-founded, as Travis is so busy playing strip poker that he loses track of time and leaves his buyers standing in a parking lot wondering where he is. These scenes, along with Travis’ attempt to get Beth to strip during a game afterward, feel like self-indulgent filler, as Sheridan gives the lion’s share of screen time to himself rather than moving forward with stories that need to be wrapped up. However, it’s possible these scenes were a set-up for a new spinoff focusing on Travis.

Travis’ Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 13 Scenes Seem Like A Tease For A Spinoff

This Yellowstone Episode Featured Far More Of Travis Than Ever Before

Yellowstone season 5, episode 13, marks the first time that Travis has had a major role in an episode. Usually, his appearances are cameos meant to acknowledge Sheridan’s part in creating the Yellowstone franchise by giving him a small character in his flagship show, although he began appearing more often starting in season 4. Instead, “Give The World Away” dedicates approximately half the episode to Travis; additionally, it follows this appearance with Rip (Cole Hauser) telling Beth a story about him and Travis in a bar years ago after she returns.

The major attention paid to Travis is unusual, especially because the scenes felt like filler. However, it makes sense as a backdoor pilot for a new spinoff featuring Travis; such pilots often heavily feature the stars of the new series and aren’t connected to other events in the main series. However, this was not the right time to attempt this type of pilot, and the poor timing could turn away the potential audience.

Despite persistent rumors about Yellowstone season 6, this season is supposed to be the final one, and Travis’ antics do nothing to help wrap up the major storylines. Thus, it seems self-indulgent at best for Sheridan to devote this episode to his character. If the conclusion is weaker than it should be, Sheridan’s choice to promote a Travis-centered spinoff now is partially to blame because it wasted time that could have been used to set up the events of the finale.

Can Taylor Sheridan Really Star In His Own Yellowstone Spinoff

That’s Up To The Star & The Paramount Network

Sheridan has created a franchise that makes a lot of money for the Paramount Network. Yellowstone is popular in its own right and has spawned several successful spinoffs about earlier generations of the Dutton family as well as one about the 6666 Ranch. Sheridan has a lot of power in the industry, and his desire to create a new spinoff will likely be taken seriously regardless of whether he plans to also star in the proposed show.

However, Sheridan also writes many episodes of the shows he creates, and Paramount may be concerned about whether he has the time to both write and star in a new series while continuing to produce at least three other shows. On the other hand, given Sheridan’s success in the past, the network will want to keep him happy so that he continues to produce shows for them, and is more likely to err on the side of permitting him to do projects he is passionate about.

However, the biggest factor is audience interest. Regardless of how successful Sheridan has been in the past, the Paramount Network will not green-light a spinoff that is likely to lose money. Thus, if audiences are unhappy with Sheridan’s guest appearance in “Give The World Away” or with the Yellowstone finale, decision-makers may think twice before agreeing to a spinoff about Travis.